For the first time, scientists have the calculations and simulations to explain mysterious flashes from the galaxy OJ 287. Roughly twice every 12 years, from 3.5 billion light years away, the light equivalent of 1 trillion suns flashes in the night sky and then fades away over the next few months. It’s a phenomenon that astronomers have been documenting since the late 1880s, originating in a galaxy known as OJ 287.
Simulations reveal how black hole collisions trigger flashes in distant galaxy
